Carlotta Johnson-McGowan

I am the Interim-Director and coordinate the efforts of the Academic Advising and Student Development unit within the African American Academic Network. I have worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago since January 1999. Prior to coming to the University of Illinois at Chicago, I have worked as a Career Development Instructor and Assistant Residence Hall Director. I am a graduate of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Illinois. I received my Bachelor of Psychology and Master of Education in Counseling and Student Development from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee Alabama.

Juanita L. McCary

I am the Assistant to the Director for the African American Academic Network. Previously, I held the position of an Academic Counselor and advised the Parent Network Association. I also serve on a variety of campus committees. My prior professional experience includes Resource and Policy Analyst and Transfer Counselor for the Office of Admissions.
I have obtained a Master of Education in Policy Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Alverno College.

Joel W. Shinault

I have worked at UIC for the past four years, one in the AAAN Recruitment Unit and three in the Advisement Unit. I advise students within the College of I coordinated the Ujima Mentoring initiative for three years, connecting freshmen with upperclassmen and faculty/staff for supplemental advisement, and career guidance. Ujima activities regularly included luncheon discussions that have since evolved into a new program activity: Lunch and Learn. The purpose of Lunch and Learn is to introduce and engage ambitious underclassmen with graduate students, medical students, judges, lawyers and career professionals to discuss and clarify the process of achieving goals. I earned my Bachelors of Arts Degree in U.S. History/English from Northern Illinois University and Masters of Arts in African American History/Literature from Atlanta University.

Paula Pierce

I am the Coordinator of the AAAN Learning Resource Center. I execute the following day-to-day operations of the LRC, including the development and implementation of program policy related to the instruction of learning, computer skill development, tutoring, and study skills. I also provide management of the day-to-day program activities of the Learning Resource Center. I obtained my B.A. from Chicago State University, and my M.A. from Concordia University, with an emphasis on Education & Leadership

Victoria Kolkebeck

I am the Academic Skills Specialist, Math & Science for the AAAN Learning Resource Center. I work to assist students to correct learning deficiencies or enhance their math skills through individual, group or classroom interventions. I provide tutoring for a variety of math courses. I also design interventions to correct deficiencies and enhance students’ mathematics skills and abilities. I obtained my B.S from DePaul University, and I am also an alumnus of UIC. I obtained my M.S., with an emphasis on Mathematics & Education from the university.

Vance Pierce

I am an Academic Counselor in the Academic Advisement Unit. I advise students from the College of Architecture & the Arts as well as students from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I also serve as coordinator of the Black Male Initiative (BMI). The Black Male Initiative has three main components; Academic Progress, Personal Development, and Social Connections. Designed to support the African American male population of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Black Male Initiative works to create a supportive environment on campus. I also serve as the advisor of the Black Student Union. To learn more about the Black Male Initiative please feel free to contact me at vpierce4@uic.edu. I am a graduate of Bradley University with a B.S. in Speech Communication and a M.A. Leadership of Human Service Administration

Demetria Gallagher

I am an Academic Counselor in the Academic Advisement Unit. I advise students for the College of Engineering and various disciplines within the Liberal Arts and Sciences. Currently, I am a Master's candidate in the Urban Planning Program at UIC. I received my Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in Sociology and Business Administration. Since graduation, one of my goals has been to further develop my nonprofit organization called the UrbanCycle, Inc. This organization uses corporate social responsibility to develop business leaders within the African American community. I encourage students in becoming hardworking young professionals that succeed after graduation.

Praveen Venkatachari

I am a Graduate Assistant at AAAN. I am responsible for coordinating ASCEND program at AAAN, maintaining the AAAN students database and tutoring students. I received my Bachelor degree in Electrical and Elctronics Engineering from SASTRA University, India in the Summer 2006. I'm currently pursuing my Ph.D. in Computer Science at UIC.